Selective ejector mechanism



Nov. 2, 1943.

C. E. EKDAHL SELECTIVE EJEOTOR MECHANISM 'Filed May 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l -w ma 1943- c. E. EKDAHL SELECTIVE EJECTOR MECHANISM Filed May 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N3 R e MM, fi y Patented Nov. 2, 1943 2.333.528 snwoirvnnrncron MECHANISM Carl E. Ekdah l, 'Worcester, Mass, assignonto Harrington & Richardson Arms" Company, 7 Worcester, Mass a corporation of Massa'ohu- Application Ma a 1940, seriitinmsmdc '-60la inis; rein-'47 v v I I N g riggn i an. exploded view of the llug 'and This inventionqrelates to' automatic selective spent-shell ejectors, particularly but not nece. sarily, applicable to multiple barrel shotguns.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a firearm having"automatic?-means=to; eject the spent shell. upon opening the gun; theprog.

vision of means located entirely ,in;the.f,rame- 7 and barrel lugfor ejecting fa fired shell while retaining a loaded shellin'the barrel}: the pro vision of means automatically set by opening-the gun to cook the firing. pins, and set the'ejector mechanism; the provision ofgvan automatic, ejector for shotguns wherein; the 1firing,;pins are operatively associated with the electors in such a manner as to set the latter in shell-ejecting position upon firing. the shell orreleasing the pin; the provision of 1 latches for the-ejectors; said latches being setiinposition for; permitting ejecting'of any shells fired,by the action .of-"the firing pins in 'firing such'shells; the provision' of a, trigger actuated firing'pin having a linkage in th e lug-2 2 the latter being-attached tofor; Y integral with theunclerside, of the;barre1s1 a with a cooking rod to move the latter; upon' firing a shell, to latchthe corresponding ejector, locking the same against movement" until such time as the gun shall have been opened a predetermined amount; and the provision of springT means compressed by the opening of'the gun,"

means to release said latch and spring means to thereby eject the spent shell upon further o'pem' n ing of the gun; and means for resetting said ejecting means, cocking rods, firing pins; etc., upon said opening. i

; Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in. which Fig. l is a view in elevation of a gun embodying the invention, with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a section on line -2-2 of Fig. 1,; Fig. -3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view looking in the direction of arrow 4 in Fig. 1; o

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of one end of ,the cocking rods;

Fig. 6is a side elevation with parts in section of one of the ejectors;

Fig. 7 is a viewlooking in the direction of arrow 1 in Fig.6; 7

Fig. 8 is a bottom 'plan latches; p

Fig. 9 is va sectional view showing a cocking rod and its operating means; 7 I

Fig. 10is a view of the breech lock looking in the direction of arrow l0 in Fig. 9'; and

view of the ejector post 34. ICoil springs 45,- 46 surround the pins' frame.

The immeas- 10; 1'2 indicate rhej1ertand rj ig t barrels respectively of a double-barrel. shotgun:

whichjis selectedas a medium-forthe disclosure f" of the present invention: The stockof thewgun isnot shown as it formsno part oi the invention, butin'practice, a stockwould be fitted over and secured to the frame; indicatedgq eifally'at f I V concealingv the firing mechanism shownj in ele vation inFigrl. v I

- The forend wood is indicated at l$,.andthe foren'dfiron at I8, the forend being. den ue-p 5; secured to the barrels by any conventional-means I such as a spring catch. -.'l he forend iron is pro-v vided-with afrear concave portion asis iisugtLQtb.

cooperate with an opposedf but smaller concavity i jacenttheibreech. .l-he concavity 20 in dug forms--agsemi cy1indrica1xhollow ronthe' pivotai. l

reception ;of" a correspondingly shaped pin 2d at the forward end of the frame l4,- this-pin. being inserted in .and'forminga part-of thef rame' forward end--26, Which;isrounded oiT-at;28 to.

pivotally slide withintheconcave portion; of the forend iron. Thus, the -frame ill-being applied:

to' the lug by the pin 24, and the forend then 1 latched in place, the gun ;can be .ope ed'i yf pivoting,- the frame about the axis of. pi 24- the foren d iron; and lug cooperating topiievent detachment of the frame f romthe. barrels; and limitingthemovement of the frame l4.to 'a pivotal movement. 1 r

Frame |4,'besides its forward part 26;, includes breech portion 30 forming a frame 1 ine;32 with the breech end of the barrels, and; a central, post 34. Left'and right firing-pins 36,36' are; slidably receivedinbores .38 inQthe portion tfl, these bores stopping short of the breech line, and being connected theretov by smaller bores Ataccommodating the points 42 of the. firing pins. Attheends remotefrom the-points 42, the firing pinsiare squared in crossqsectifon and are ar ranged to be slidably guided in slotsjd in the and bear at one end against the post and at the other end against collars '48'flxed to -the .pins,

and it-will be seen that these springs {continu-J ously urge the. firing pins tofiringpos-ition.

Sears 150, 50' 'are'pivoted as at 552 1 11 post34 in an interior slot, and these' sears are providedh with harp shoulders 54 at their rear ends. Each firingpin 3B, "is provided with a notch .56 cor}. respondin -to 'the shoulders 54. The rear ends of the sears are separately urged towards the firing pins by individual sear springs 58," each of which, bears at one end on its trigger rod 69, 60, respectively. The forward ends of the sears are urged by the springs towards their corresponding trigger rods in front of post 34, and

bear thereagainst. The trigger rods and triggers.

are pivoted at 62 to'the frame M. The gun is cocked in Fig. 1, and the sear shoulders are shown engaged in the notches 55, thus locking the firing.

pins against forward movement to firing position.

Two cocking levers V64, 64' are pivoted in the frame I at 66, although they may be pivoted on the trigger pivot 62. These levers are provided at their free ends with enlarged-bosses fifl which creates a friction binding against the cam surface I08.

The top lever H is cperatively connected as for instance by a cam H2 (Fig. 10) to a locking bolt I I4 which looks the gun in closed position by its extension into depression H5 in the lug 22. Extending rearwardly from the bolt are two arms l| 6,' slidably mountedfin the breech portion 30 and protruding rearwardly therefrom at each side of the cocking levers 64, 64'. Shoulders H8 in the arms H6 engage the cooking levers in their rearward travel when the top lever is actuated, and force these levers backwarclly far enough to'release the points 42 from the shells ride in slots 10 in the collars 48, and clearly any movement of a firing pinis transmitted to its cocking lever and vice versa. Intermediate its ends, eachcocking lever passes through a slot 12 adjacent the rear end of each of the separate cocking rods .14, "14, these rodsbeing slidably mounted in the breech portion 30 of frame I 4-and extending forwardly through the portion "26, and protruding through the end of saidvportion into a ,cut away cavity [16 inthe concavefa'c'e of theforend iron l8 This cavityprovidesa rearwardly and upwardly slopingcam face H: The shoulders I8 formingslots' ,12 "engag either side I so that'thegun may then be opened. It is to be noted that therear end of. lug 22 is provided with a cam surface I20 so that when closing the gun,'the bolt H4 will ride up this cam and snap intodepression H5, thus avoiding the necessity of operating the top lever.

, After the ejector plungers, eje'ctors, and ejector latches have been assembled in'the mg 22, and

the locking rods, levers, firing pinsg and sears have been assembled in the frame 14, the latter is secured to the lug-as illustrated in Big. 11; The portion -26 of the :frame "is placed inl position wherein the pin'24 }is in advance of itsfinal location in cavity20, and the'lug 22 isbrought of thecocking levers, so that any movement of a the latter is communicated to therods, and 'vice versa. With the gun cocked, as in Fig. 1, the

cocking rods are in retracted position as shown in that figure.

The forward por v vided witha hollowrchamber 80, throughwlr1ich the 3 cocking rods pass, this 7 chamber being defined bythe frame line face at 32,:the inner side he 'described. In theiportiorrof the cocking rods passing through chamber 80, the faces f the rods are partiallycut away to form like cam surfaces86.

Referring to Figs. 6 and a, rewrit een that V the lug 22 is made up of apluralityof spaced parallelplates 22, these plates being integral with, or fixed to the barrels. This arrangement leavestwo space's, one each between the central plate and anouter plate. A pin 88 extends through the three plates and .pivotally supports the ejector latches 90, 90 in theabove-me'ntionedspaces. These latches are of the shape shown andeach has'a laterally outv'vardly extending releasing lug 92, 92'. A friction spring 94 engages the inner faces of the latches and pre- I vents free pivoting thereof, so that the' lat'ches' will always remain where placed. Each latch has a cam surface 96, 96 at its end opposite the pivot, and a, projection 98 on the edge opposite the lugs 92,922 f f a Extending forwardly from and guided in ways in the lug 22 are a pair ofslidable ejector plungers I00, I00. Each plunger is provided with an end coil spring I02 at its rear end,' and these springs also bear on the forward ends of a pair of ej ectors I04, [04. Eachof'theseejectors has a catch lflfi' cooperating with its c'orresponding' projection 93.- The forward portion 26 of frame l4 terminates in an extending lip l06 having acam surface I08- against which the ends of the ejector 'plungers b ar by action of springs I02. 'Although when the gun is closed, thisfengagementis light, as

the springs are not compressed butvery slightly, still the opening ofthe gun forces the plungers back against the action of the springs, and thus tion 26 or the frame 14 is pror walls of gthe chamber, and 'flan ges 82. 'J'I 'h ese flanges are'cut away as at 84, for apurposeto down so that the releasing lugs 92, 921011 the ejector'latches, pass through the cutaway por-" tions' 84 -in the flanges 82. Then the barrel is moved-forwardly; or the frame l4 rearwardly, untiltheipin 24 is in position to seat inthe' cavity' 20, and the top lever is actuated to withdraw the bolt H4. The frame l4is thenpivoted toward '1 the barrel and the breech closed. The foren'd is thenfse'cured in place'as usual, and the frame is thus secured jtonthe barrel; as pin 24 cannot escape from cavity20' and the curved face 28. of -the forward portion 26 0f the frame locked by the pin 24"against the concave portion inthe forend iron. J l 1 In .thisposition, the releasing lugs 92, 92' are trapped within chamber Bil, and will bear upon the flanges 82 when the gunis opened,l'to assist a in. stopping. the opening actionf at r a predetermined point, and to: achieve other results tov be described; Also, the cams ,96, 9G projectinto the depressions in the cocking rods 14, 14 form'- ing the cam surfaces 86; j i i .In the operation of the device, assuming the parts to be in po-sitionas shown in Fig.1, the firing pins 35,46 are cocked,-and two loaded shellsare in the breech. If the trigger connected to arm 60 is pressed, it will swing the arm up about pivot 62, thus pivoting sear 50 clockwise about pin ,52, against the action of its spring 58/ This releases shoulder. 54 from notch 56, and loaded. spring 46 is then free to snap the firing pin forward, the point 42projecting slightly beyond the frame, line 132.jto fire. the shellin the left hand barrel. Assuming that the other barrel is not fired, the'operator. desires to reload the fired barrel so as to havetwo shots readyfor the next opportunity. I 7

As the firing pin 36 snaps forward, it" moves the cocking lever 64, the latter pivqtingabout its pin "66, and in turn, the cocking lever forces the cocking rod '54 forwardly, so that its front end projects further into the cavity at 16 and approaches closely to earn face Tl. Of course;

spring 46 will hold the parts in this position.

In its forward movement, the cocking rod 14 cam surfaceBB engages the cam 96 and thereby urges the e'i'ector latch 98 upwards about pivot 88, as seen in Fig. 6, so-as to engage projection 93 into the catch I06 in the ejector 104. This looks the ejector in place, due tothe friction spring 94, which ensures that the latch 9iwi1l stay in position. Ofcourse, the latch 90' has not been moved, since cocking rod 14- has not been urged forward, as long as triggenarmqliil has not been actuated, and therefore the ejector I04 is not latched underthe conditions above assumed. 1 I

The top lever l to is now pivoted to withdraw bolt HAS from its locking position inidepression tlfi'in the lug 22, and as the bolt retreats, oneof the shoulders H3 engages thelever B4 and starts to pivot it against the .tension'of spring 4.6,and

thus withdraws. point 4 2 from the cap in the explcded: shell so that the frame l4 may-be pivoted to open the gun. As this occurs, cam .face "18 impinges on the ends of ejector plungers lflfl,

um, and urges the same in a rearward direction. This action tensions the springs I02, and as ejector I M is not latched, it is relatively Slowly urged rearwardly to project the unfired shell slightly from the breech, but this does not of course eject the shell. I

On the other hand,- as plunger I is urged to} the details hereindisclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim sfbutiwhat'I-claimdsiz 1. In 'a deviceof the classrdescribed, 'a firearmfifl having a barrel and a pivoted frame, an ejector and normally inoperative latching means therefor on the barreLa firing mechanismand a cockv g ingrod on said frame, said rod being movable by 1 said firing mechanism m the latters movement to firing position, means on said rod toengage said latching means with saidejector during such movement, spring means to spring-pressi said ejector and means to release said latching means upon pivoting said frama'means secured: to the barrel to reposition said cocking rod andtthereby cock sa'id firing mechanism upon said pivoting-of the frame, and means-on said frame effective-to compress-said spring means just prior to the operation of=saidreleasing means" during the frame pivoting action. 2. In-a device of the class described, a gun barrel having a lug, a shell ejector slidably rearwardly by the cam I08, it tensions its spring I02 to a large degree, since ejector I04 is latched, and cannot be moved. As the frame I4 is further pivoted, however, it will be seen that re leasing lug- 92 engages its adjacent flange 82 on the fore portion 26 of the frame, and this occurs prior to engagement of lug 92 with its flange, since the latch 91! is in its upward location While latch 9!! is still in its lowermost position. The

. engagement of lug 92 with the flange pulls the latch 90 downwards, thus releasing the ejector m4 and allowing its spring I02 to snay'it rearwardly and forcibly throw out the shell. Further movement of frame I4 is inhibited by the lugs 92', 92'.

Of course, if both shells have been fired, they will both be thrown out at the same time, and if neither has been fired, they will be moved out slightly but not ejected. Thus it will be apparent, that a completely automatic,selective ejector for fired shells in multi-barreled guns has been provided, and its action does not depend on any preselector or upon any action or thought taken by the operator other than to load, cock, and shoot. I

While the gun is in the act of being opened, the end of a cocking rod which has been advanced, by firing, into substantial contactwith cam 11, in effect slides up the cam. As the cam slopes rearwardly, the rod is also. forced rear-.

wardly, and of course carries its lever 64 or 64', as the case may be, and its firing pin, backwardly against the tension of the firing pin spring. At the time when the fired shell or shells are ejected, the notch 56 will engage shoulder M on the sear, and the firing pin is again cocked.-

Further, as the gun is closed, the friction between cam HlBand' the spring loaded plungers mu, N30 is decreased to practically nothing, so that near the end of the closing action, the force needed to finish closing the gun becomes very small and this gives it the effect of snapping shut, particularly with the influenceof bolt N4 sliding on the lower inclined portion of depression H5 inthe lug 22. The top lever and hence the bolt H4 are continuously urged to locking position by any convenient; spring mechanism,

such as the spring indicated at I25, whichmay' be connected to the parts in any desired or suitable manner.

mounted in association with said barrel, spring- I means for urging said ejector towardsejecting position, a latch located within said lug: and adaptedlto engage said ejector to hold it against thespringaction, a frame pivoted to said barrel and mounting a firing mechanism therein, alever a operatively connected to said mechanism, a cocking rod. in, said frame operatively connected to,

said lever, said rod having means .adapted to move thelatch into ejector-locking position upon:

actuation of said lever by said firing mechanism, when the latter is movedinto firing position; meanson the frame to compress said spring means upon initial pivoted movement of the frame, and means 'on said frame to release said latch upon pivoting of said frame relative to said barrel and lug to breech open position.

3. A firearm having a barrel and Ya frame pivR oted with respect thereto, a lug on said barrel,

firing mechanism in said frame, means to cook" said firing mechanism, said'means being movable in one direction by said mechanism upon firingjthereof and movable in the oppositedi rection to cook the latter, means to movesaid cocking means in 'said opposite direction, a shell ejector, a spring to operatezthe ejector, means 1 on said lug to latch said ejector-against the actuation of the spring, said latching means-being H movable out of ejector-latching positionto re lease the spring, said cocking means having means to move said latch into said position upon movement of said cocking meansin said one direction, means on said frame-to-move said, latch.-

ing means out of said position'upon pivoting of I 1 said frame to breech opened position relative to said barrel, andimeans on the. frame to compress T the spring upon initial pivoting of said frame towards breech open position prior to theremoval ofthe latching means from ejector-latching position, whereby the spring is compressedin preparation for operating the ejector.

4'. A firearm having" a barreL'a frame ivoted i to said barrel, firing mechanism in'said" frame, a cooking rod associated with said firing mech-. anism to-be moved thereby, a movable latch on said barrel, an ejector on said barrel, an ejector plunger associated with said ejector, a spring between said ejector and plunger, means on the l ejector toreceive said latch to Iock'the ejectOr against ejecting movement, means on said cock 'ing rod to move said latch to ejector locking sition upon actuationof said firing mechanism,

Having thu'sz jdescribedi-my inventi onand j advantages thereof, Idonotwish to, be limited means on the :fra'me for engaging and moving said plunger to compress saidspring upon initial pivoting movement of said framewhen saidlatch is engaged with said ejector, means on said latch adapted to engage'said frame upon further pivoting movement thereof to release "the latch from the ejector'whereby said spring is released to eject a] fired shell, said spring being stiff enough to act as a link between the plungerand ejector so that the latteris moved towards ejecting position when the frame is pivoted-to open position and the'latch is not in ejector'locking position. t.

l 5. A firearm comprising a barrel, a frame pivoted to the barrel for opening the breech, firing mechanism on theirame, a cocking rod associated with the firing mechanism for movement therewithg'an ejector slidably mounted on the barrel, an ejector plunger aligned with the ejector, a spring located between the ejector and plunger, means on-the frame adapted upon pivr oting movement of said frame to engage the plunger and compress the spring against the ejector when the latter is locked against ejecting rod under influence of thefiring mechanism, and I means to release 'the ejector from the latch, whereby the ejector will be snapped by the spring to ejecting position to eject a fired shell only.

6. A firearm as recited in claim 5 wherein said releasing means comprises a flange on the latch and a corresponding flange on the frame, said I latch being mounted 'on the barrel. 

